Her Brother's Keeper
by laurelangel
Summary: Sakura hated being the daughter of one of the most important men in the world. But what she hated most was that it meant she was stuck babysitting her two younger brothers. Then she found a book about a goblin king, and everything changed…Naruto/Labyrinth
1. Prologue

NOTE: REVISED 8/2009

Title: Her Brothers' Keeper

Summary: Sakura Namikaze hated being the daughter of one of the most important men in the world, but what she hated most was that it meant she was stuck babysitting. _All the time_. Until she found a book about a goblin king, and everything changed…Naruto/Labyrinth

Category: General, Family, Adventure

Rating: T

Author's Note: Throw the canon ages of our dear characters out the window, I've basically borrowed the characters from Naruto, am doing my absolute best to keep them true to their personalities at whatever stage of life they are in, and thrown them into Labyrinth. If you think I've gone way too OOC with anyone, tell me, that is _not _one of the goals of the story. You are free to tell me if you love it or hate it, I'd appreciate it in fact! Reviews are very welcome and often inspire me to become a better writer and continue with the story!

For those who have read my other stories, let me say this now, THIS IS DIFFERENT. I like trying new things and I have been wanting to write something _new_ (not that labyrinth crossovers are a new idea, I just have not written one before) and my traditional plots are not speaking to me.

Yes, at the start the story takes place in America, please do not let that put you off. I don't know enough about Japan to accurately describe their modern day lifestyle and culture, and I will not insult their culture by pretending I do when I do not have the time or resources to conduct adequate research. Maybe one day when I'm retired (which is not looking good right now dears) I can go back and fix that. However, that day is a long, long, very long time from now so until then, remember that you will only hear about "real life" for the first few chapters and then we will all be immersed in the magical land of the Labyrinth, where nationality really does not matter.

Warning, this may be a bit darker than most of your normal labyrinth crossovers, and the rating may increase, I'm not too sure where this plot bunny is going. This first chapter is mainly character development and background story.

One thing about my writing that will be staying the same is that I don't plan on this being a pairing oriented story. I plan on focusing on the family dynamics, which is why I have depicted our favorite trio (Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto) siblings.

* * *

Prologue

Sakura Namikaze was the daughter of one of the most influential men in the nation, scratch that-the world. Her father was one of the main political advisors of foreign affairs to the President of the United States, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Her father knew every word that left the president's lips before the country even knew a press conference was being called. He sat in on meetings so tightly monitored that at times Sakura was not even allowed to know where her father was or when he might be home. He said he did it for the good of his country. It was his passion— representing his beloved country and overseeing its affairs with the rest of the world.

He was charismatic, intelligent, resourceful, organized, and (according to the _People_ magazines she stuffed under her bed) one of the "most handsome, perfect, absolutely charming men of the century…and ladies, he is single too!"

He had been single since her mother died of cancer when she was ten.

She did not really like to think about that much.

She also did not like to think about the new rumors sprouting up on the Internet that her father was one of the top candidates to enter the primaries for the next presidential election in a few years. She asked him about that last weekend. He took a long drink from his coffee mug, then stood up from the table, stuffing a report under his arm and ruffling Sakura's hair. "We'll talk about that later, Princess."

That was the answer to a lot of the questions she asked him lately.

Sakura Namikaze was also one of the loneliest daughters in the nation.

It had been better once, when her mother was alive.

Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze had the deepest green eyes and the most gorgeous red hair of any woman in the world. Sakura's mother was full of life and love and energy! She lit up every room she walked into, no matter how serious the conversation. Her father could have been talking about the nuclear potential of North Korea, but as soon as her mother walked in, it was like all the curtains flew back and the blinds opened and the sun shone brighter and no one could find the power to turn away from that beautiful smile. Sakura had wanted to be just like her.

And together…together, Minato and Kushina Namikaze were invincible, infallible. Nothing could harm them, and nothing could harm her…nothing could harm Sakura, as long as they were all together.

And then, her mother got sick.

Really sick.

Sakura was only six and the doctors called it cancer. They said it was very aggressive and that they would try all the treatments available but that "the prognosis" was not hopeful. "Prognosis" was a big word for a six year old, and Sakura did not understand it that much except that it meant that her mother was going to be sick for a long time and was going to get a lot worse before she ever got better, _if_ she ever got better.

Shortly after, her parents started to argue.

Her mother wanted more children. She had always wanted a big family and did not see why being sick should affect those plans. Minato thought this was ridiculous as her mother could barely get out of bed most days, but of course, her mother won. Well, actually, they came to a sort-of compromise. They adopted. His name was Sasuke Uchiha (it became Sasuke Namikaze once the papers were signed) and he was five to Sakura's seven.

At first, Sasuke did not talk to anyone.

Sakura remembered being upset about this (she had been looking forward to having a sibling only to get one who was defective!) and cried to her father to make the boy talk.

Sakura's father took her aside and held her on his lap, tilting her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eyes as he tried to explain that Sasuke was "just very sad right now, he lost his parents, and some other family members." He smoothed back her hair and tried to explain a very complicated situation as simply as possible. "He's grieving Princess, he'll talk on his own eventually…when he feels better." Sakura had sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

Minato just smiled and wiped a tear off her cheek. "Now stop crying. Princesses don't cry now, do they? " Sakura had simply shaken her head dried her eyes. "You have to be the strong one now you know, its your job as the big sister. You have to help take care of him." When he kissed her on the forehead and took her downstairs for dinner, Sakura still didn't truly understand her father's words, but she trusted him and, sure enough, Sasuke slowly began speaking to his family members and to teachers and friends at school.

When Sakura was nearly nine, Kushina's cancer went into remission. The doctors were pleasantly surprised and Sakura's family was perfect again.

Her father had more time to spend doing fun things, like going on family outings with his wife and children to the local zoo, as he no longer spent so much time at the hospital. Her mother had enough energy to stay up late and read her darlings bedtime stories about wizards and princesses and goblins that stole children and the brave knights that saved them. Sasuke started smiling (in addition to talking) and started doing so well in school that he wound up skipping two grades and being in the same class as Sakura. Sakura found this slightly aggravating, but apparently having a cute tag-along super-genius brother with a dark and mysterious past elevated her social status, so she was not too distraught.

Somewhere in the middle of basking in the glow of having the perfect family, her mother announced she was pregnant. At first, Sakura and Sasuke were excited about the new baby. She remembered picking out the colors for the baby's nursery (and arguing with Sasuke about why dark blue or black was not a healthy color for a baby's room, he fought against pink just as vehemently and eventually they both compromised for orange), listening to the baby kick in their mother's stomach, and sneaking her mother strawberries late at night when her father was away.

However, what neither Sakura nor Sasuke could understand was why, exactly, their father was not just as happy as they were. He withdrew from the family and refused to share in shopping trips and planning for the new baby.

When Kushina was seven months pregnant, she and Minato sat Sakura and Sasuke down in the family room and told them that Kushina's cancer was back, and had been back for the past couple of months.

They told the two that their mother was refusing treatment, because it might hurt the baby. They told them that the baby would probably be healthy, but that Kushina would probably be very sick and would most likely, never get better. Sakura cried as her mother held her close and ran her fingers through her hair telling her to "be strong " and that "everything was going to be all right." Which was a lie, because Sakura knew nothing was ever going to be all right again. Sakura remembered her father holding Sasuke, but watching Sakura and Kushina with a stony expression from the opposite side of the couch. At first, Sakura was angry with him because she thought he was not upset, but later, she realized that he had simply cried all the tears he could long before Sakura and Sasuke sat on the couch that day.

A month and a half later, Kushina gave birth to a healthy baby boy and named him Naruto.

Two months later, Sakura turned ten.

One week later, Kushina died.

Sasuke stopped talking again. Her father began to spend even more time at work, throwing himself into his career and receiving promotions faster than Sakura could text her best friend, Ino, on her cell phone.

Naruto remained a very happy baby and grew to be a very happy toddler and a very happy little boy. Happy, happy, happy. All smiles and giggles.

Sakura looked like her mother (in her mind, never as beautiful of course) but with long hair of a reddish tinge (really more pink than red) and bright green eyes. However, Sakura's personality was more like her father's, reserved, dignified, and polite. Naruto was the opposite, looking just like their father but really, he had his mother's heart.

Sakura hated him.

She knew she should not hold it against him.

I mean, he was a _baby._ It wasn't like he tried to irritate her on purpose.

But, her mother was _dead._ If Kushina had just been a little bit selfish, or perhaps not so selfish, she might have thought about how imperfect the family would be once she was gone. She would have remembered how useless Minato had been when she was in the hospital. How hard it would be for Sasuke to lose his mother _again._

But, selfish or not, some part of Kushina's personality made her make a decision that led to her death. And now Naruto seemed to bear the brunt of that curse.

Sakura was 16 now, and knew the other options from which her mother had to choose. Her mother could have taken chemotherapy past the first trimester, it increased the risk of miscarriage and the possibility of low birth weight, but she could have done it. Or, she could have had an abortion. Either choice would have prolonged her mother's life and two of her children, at least, would still have a mother.

Instead, Kushina chose to die.

A husband lost his soul-mate.

A daughter lost her idol.

A son lost his mother for the _second _time.

And, a baby lost the touch of a woman whose face he would never be able to recall.

Sakura thought that maybe that was why she hated Naruto most, because he could not _remember_.

And because he could not remember her, he could not feel the pain of missing her. He could not feel the jolt in his heart that Minato felt every time he saw his son's smile, could not understand the tears in Sakura's eyes every time he bounced into a room singing joyously at the top of his lungs, could not comprehend Sasuke's silence every time he babbled on about the happenings of the day and tackled his sibling for a one-sided hug.

Sakura hated him for it, even though she knew she should not.

She tried avoiding the six year-old, but her father had a monopoly on that tactic. He spent so much time away from home that sometimes the only time his children would see him in a month was on the television as he stood off to the side or in the background during a press conference.

They had a tutor/nanny/nurse, Mrs. Tsunade, who took care of them for the most part (Naruto called her Granny 'Nade, but Sakura was fairly certain that if she or Sasuke attempted to call the woman Granny they would get their ears boxed and be sent to bed without supper). From what Sakura could gather, Tsunade was an old family friend of her father. Minato had once been best friends with Tsunade's little brother who was killed by a drunk driver sometime during their high school years. Tsunade had adopted Minato to fill that void and even though she had gone on to be a very successful doctor (now retired), she still kept in contact with the family.

She did Minato a favor by watching his kids and keeping (or trying to keep) them out of trouble. However, Tsunade went home after dinner at 5:30 every day to be with her own family (she had a very strange husband who Sakura met once or twice at social functions).From dinner time until seven in the morning (as well as most weekends), Sakura was responsible for her fourteen and six year old little brothers.

Well, honestly, Sasuke pretty much took care of himself. Except for the fact that he refused to speak with anyone other than Sakura and Naruto, he was completely fine.

They had an unspoken agreement that Sasuke would at least sit with Naruto until seven so Sakura could do homework and, time permitting, talk with her friends. From seven to eight Sakura would wrestle Naruto through his bath, into his pjs, and under the covers. She would find his stuffed fox (because the kid would _not_ sleep without it) and flick off the lights. Naruto would ask for a bedtime story and Sakura would say "Not tonight Naruto, I have homework." Or she would say "I'm tired" or "I don't know any" or "maybe tomorrow." She had a thousand excuses and they all flew from her lips effortlessly. Bedtime stories were her mother's thing, not Sakura's. Besides, she did not want to share that memory with Naruto, it hurt too much. She would close the door almost the entire way, but leave the hall light on because Naruto was scared of the dark. Then she would finish her homework, help Sasuke with his, and hopefully go to bed, unless Naruto had a nightmare or wet the bed. Then she had to take care of _that _too.

Naruto had _a lot_ of nightmares for such a usually happy little kid.

Sakura blamed her father a bit for those. They had been at a political convention last summer and her father had not given them very good instructions. She and the two boys wound up in a very crowded, noisy room. Naruto had seen something shiny, and in an instant he had let go of her hand and dashed under the legs of the man next to her and been lost in the sea of people. Sakura had panicked. She had tried calling her father with a cellphone, but he would not answer. Neither Sakura nor Sasuke could find a convention organizer and eventually wound up calling Tsunade who had the number for her father's personal assistant. Her father_ always_ answered emergency calls from his personal assistant, a whiny, bossy little man with thick glasses named Ebisu.

Ebisu got in touch with the convention coordinator, the security personnel, and her father. The coordinator and security started to look through the building for her brother, but called the police when their three hour search yielded nothing. A solemn Sasuke held Sakura's hand as she hysterically sobbed in some unknown man's private office, listening to Ebisu frantically screaming at people on the phone as her father continued to give his speech on stage despite knowing that his youngest child was currently missing.

Minato joined them later in the evening, but Naruto still had not been found. He calmly thanked the police officers for their work and they reassured him that they had as many men as they could gather looking for his child. He took Sasuke and Sakura home and put them to bed. Sakura could not sleep, plagued with the knowledge that the entire ordeal was her fault and she should have kept a better hold on Naruto. She started to slip downstairs for a drink but paused on the banister overlooking the living room. Her father was slouched on the couch. He was still in the suit in which he had addressed the convention members earlier that day. He had taken his coat off and loosened his tie, but his shoes were still on. He had a cup of coffee in one hand and his cellphone in the other, both arms leaning on his legs as he bent over a coffee table covered in old scrapbooks. He was staring blankly at a picture of Kushina holding her youngest child in a hospital bed. Sakura quietly stepped back into the shadows and returned to her bedroom.

The police called them shortly before noon the next day. They had found Naruto, who had somehow managed to have become locked inside a janitors closet. He was dirty, tired, hungry, and very frightened, but he was ok. The police tried to get him to tell them what had happened in the eighteen hours he had been missing, but Naruto would just start crying and asking for his sister. So, Sakura went with her father to pick him up and she held him for the rest of the day as he refused to let go of her shirt.

Naruto never did tell anyone what happened that day, but whatever did happen had kept him from sleeping peacefully for the past year and kept him petrified of being alone and being in dark places. However, he never went to Minato with his nightmares or worries.

Even when their father was home, Naruto came to Sakura for his nightmares. She heard him go to their father for comfort only once, about a month after the incident. Minato had yelled at him (the first time Sakura had ever heard him raise his voice to anyone besides their mother) for interrupting his sleep after such a long time away at work (he had just returned from a week in India) and sent him back to his room. He brought home some toys for Naruto the next day as an apology, but Naruto never went to him with a nightmare after that, he went to Sakura. The toys disappeared shortly thereafter as well, and Sakura had a sneaking suspicion that they were at the bottom of their father's prized koi pond in the backyard.

It was easier to be nicer to Naruto when he had nightmares and his face was wet and red from crying. He was hurting then too, and it was easier to not be so irritated with him when he was sad too.

However, Naruto was still a rambunctious little boy. A very, very rambunctious little boy. He was constantly into everything and nothing could hold his attention for very long. Sakura longed for the day when she could be a sixteen year old girl and go hang out after school with her friends and sneak out at midnight every so often.

And...it was not that Sakura _hated_ her father! She loved him very, very much...it was just...very frustrating some times that he spent so much time away from home and paid so little attention to them. Sakura missed him, but she was okay on her own. Sasuke, however, really could use some father-son bonding time. After all, the kid had not held a real conversation with anyone besides Sakura for the past six years (Naruto did not count as real conversation). Even his teachers commented that although her brother was brilliant, it was abnormal for him to absolutely refuse to socialize with his peers.

And Naruto...well, he was six. He deserved to be tossed into the air and caught again, to be played with like her father had played with Sasuke when he was that age.

Sakura thought that maybe, she would not resent Naruto quite as much as she did if her father came home more often. It really was not fair on anybody that he worked so long. Sure, it paid well. _Very well_, actually, but Sakura was willing to give up a bit if it meant he could be home more. She knew Sasuke would too, not that he would tell anyone. And Naruto...well,Naruto's favorite toy was a threadbare stuffed fox he had owned since he was two. Sasuke had won it in a carnival dart-throwing game and given it to his excited younger sibling.

Naruto was _really_ easy and cheap to please. He liked wearing the same orange jumper for days in a row and would find some way to get muddy even if it had not rained in months. He could talk for hours and be his own best friend as he ran up and down the hallways on animated quests with horses made from brooms and stolen barbie dolls for damsels in distress. He had an insatiable craving for ramen and Sakura would find instant ramen cups in the oddest places. (Sasuke would make Naruto instant ramen at the drop of a hat as long as he knew it would stop Naruto from talking for just a few moments). Sakura found abandonded ramen cups all around the house, in plants, under the sofa, behind the tv, in the bathtub...and she was pretty sure Naruto was hoarding all the spoons somewhere too. He was such a handful! If someone was not watching him every second of the day he wound up setting curtains on fire ("A accident sissy!") or breaking expensive vases ("From Turkey? Dad got it from a bird?") or terrifying the cat ("I like it orange better than brown"). Other sisters she knew did not have to practically raise their baby brothers.

And she worried about him very much. He woke up screaming or sobbing every night and could not get over his fear of the dark. He threw a tantrum every morning for three months straight when they started going to school and dropping him off with his kindergarten teacher. He hated being alone and always wanted to be the center of attention. He had a million and one very creative methods of _ensuring_ that he got attention too. He also had an imaginary friend named Kyuubi Sir, who as far as Sakura could tell was some type of very large and temperamental fox loosely based off of his favorite toy. He carried around his fox toy all the time and purposefully arranged it about the house so Sakura and Sasuke would be aware of Kyuubi Sir's location and could do their best not to step or sit on his friend.

She just wanted a break.

Someone to take Naruto off her hands for a bit.

Little did she know, her wish would soon be granted….

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Next: Chapter One- The Book


	2. The Book

Title: Her Brothers' Keeper

Summary: Sakura Namikaze hated being the daughter of one of the most important men in the world, but what she hated most was that it meant she was stuck babysitting. _All the time_. Until she found a book about a goblin king, and everything changed…Naruto/Labyrinth

Category: General, Family, Adventure

Rating: T

Author's Note: I know this has not been updated in a very long time. However, I finally figured out a bit more about the direction I wish to take this in. That doesn't mean I'll be updating regularly by any means, but it does mean it should not be another year until Chapter Two is up. (Additionally, I have allready written much of the next chapter). As always, please review. I promise to answer any questions the best I can. I do answer timely reviews in a timely manner, which means if you review with a question within the next month I do my best to give you a written response.

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Chapter Two: The Book

Sakura relaxed against the back of the wooden chair in which she was sitting. She slowly flipped through the book on children's fairytales, scanning it to see if it might be useful for her newest assignment in her English class. It was only an hour before the bell would ring to release all Friday classes at Sarutobi Academy.

The school was not at all directly related to President Sarutobi, but rather was started and currently run by one of his sons, Asuma. It was widely known that Asuma had wanted nothing to do with his father's political career, they had a rather large public fallout about the matter, and he had instead gone into teaching.

Minato told her that he had enrolled her and her brothers in the small private school because it was one of the best in the country. Sakura had just shrugged off the explanation. The school was prestigious, but Sakura held no illusions about her father's true motives. The Namikaze children were only here because it would be seen as a public show of support from the current presidential administration for the estranged Sarutobi son. It did not matter that her father had been friends with Asuma since college, or that the school had a good academic reputation. It was simply one of the well timed political maneuvers that often ruled over her life.

A loud sigh and a heavy backpack falling onto and jarring the tabletop alerted Sakura to the arrival of her best friend for the past twelve years, Ino Yamanaka. Ino made a dramatic demonstration of her currently irritated state by flipping her long blonde hair over her should and gracefully falling into a slouch in the chair next to Sakura's.

Her light blue eyes flickered disinterestedly over Sakura and her choice of reading material before turning to glare at a freshman carrying a large stack of books a bit too near their table. The freshman gulped and stumbled back a few steps, almost tripping over his feet as he hastily decided to use a table on the far side of the room. Sakura ignored Ino, knowing she changed temperaments faster than the mood rings she liked to play with as a little girl. Besides, the fastest way to ensure Ino's attention was to ignore her completely.

Sure enough, in a few seconds, Sakura's peaceful reading was interrupted by a loud squawk. "Oh hell, forehead girl, are you really going to read all this?" Ino shifted through the twenty books that lay randomly scattered on the table. "It's only supposed to be a five page paper—"

"SHH!" Ino was silenced by a sharp glance from their English and history teacher, Mr. Umino, who was standing near the information desk helping another student with some computer searches.

Ino pouted a bit, before leaning over the table and snatching Sakura's book from her grasp. "What are you writing about, again?" Ino opened the book and looked at the pictures.

Sakura gave an irritated huff and reached forward to grab her book back. "I don't know what I'm writing on yet." She tried to find where she'd left off reading, but decided against it and tossed the book back to the pile on the table before picking up another. "I'm just skimming all these to get a general idea, and then I'll return the ones I don't need."

Ino rolled her eyes dramatically. "So you checked out the entire fiction section? Oh wait, I think you missed a shelf, you better go back!"

Sakura stuck her tongue out and went back to reading.

The clock ticked on, counting down the minutes to the end of the school day as their teacher prowled between the tables, making sure everyone stayed busy with the relevant assignment.

"I hate projects," Ino bitterly muttered as she picked up a rather large book from the pile and settled it in her lap.

Sakura paid no attention and simply turned the page of _Arabian Nights_.

"Well, really just all the reading."

Sakura glanced up and saw a bit of color leaking over the pages of Ino's rather intimidating volume of _One Thousand and One Fairy Tales._ "Ino, you're reading Cosmo."

"Well, the stuff we're supposed to read, anyway."

Sakura went back to her book.

"And the writing."

"And the studying."

Sakura sighed and switched books again. "You hate school Ino."

At this, Ino looked off with a smirk. "Oh, no. There are parts I can _really_ enjoy."

Sakura followed Ino's gaze and found her staring at the senior football star, who returned Ino's gaze with a flirty smile.

Now it was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes, but before she could comment on her friend's words a roll of paper came down on Ino's head with a light smack.

"Ms. Yamanaka, I don't believe that magazine has anything to do with mythology." Mr. Umino looked down at Ino as he stood behind and held out his hand to confiscate Ino's entertainment. Ino sighed and handed over her magazine. "One more time and its detention, Ms. Yamanaka."

"Yes, Mr. Umino, sorry sir." Ino watched their English teacher walk away and sulked in her chair. "You know, I think I hate the library the most."

"Here." Sakura pushed a stack of books over to her friend. "Try some mental stimulation."

Ino snorted, but picked up the book on top of the pile and tossed it open on the table. "Yeah, because reading Cinderella is really gonna….oh gross, that bird picked her eyes out!" Ino stared, horrified at the picture before her.

Sakura continued to take notes on the possible outline for her paper. "You must have the Hans Christen Anderson version."

"It's disgusting!" Ino continued investigating the pictures in the book despite her exclamation of distaste.

Sakura just shrugged. "Not all fairytales have happy endings or were written to inspire sweet dreams, Ino."

"Eeewww…" Ino scrunched up her face, disgruntled. "But what does this have to do with mythology, exactly?"

Sakura sighed and flipped through her English notebook. She read their project prompt straight from the page, monotonously. "Many fairytales have some basis in mythology. Your assignment for the end of term paper is to choose a fairytale and compare and contrast it with the mythology we have studied from various cultures."

"I know that," Ino snapped, " but that" she shoved a rather graphic picture of Cinderella's stepsisters receiving their just desserts in Sakura's face.

"Ino!" Sakura pushed the book away.

"Just….ick!" Ino gave a distinct head nod to finalize her point before sitting back down in her chair and choosing another book to look through. "So, forehead-girl, tonight my cousin is going to have one hell of a crazy smashin' graduation party. Wanna come with?"

"Graduation?" Sakura made some notes in the margin of her outline. "Isn't it December? Or did I miss a couple of months?"

Ino flipped her hair out of her eyes and shrugged carelessly. "So, he's a bit early. Or late. Whatever, it's gonna be a lot of hot older college age boys a big house and tons of possibility for trouble, making out, underage drinking and then random insanity. Doesn't that sound fun?" Ino wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Sakura gave her friend a flat look. "Ino, if I participated in 'random insanity,' karma would come find me and there would be a humiliating picture front and center on the most obnoxious gossip tabloid in the world bright and early the next morning."

"What? 'Politician's Crunk Daughter' not a good headline for the PR team?"

Sakura ignored her.

"Personally, I think that would be a great Christmas present."

Sakura kicked at Ino under the table.

"Kidding! Just Kidding!" Ino curled back reflexively and played with her hair. "Ok, so I may have exaggerated a teensy eensy bit about there being booze…"

"No, Ino—"

"And there probably won't be that many boys." Ino always did get whiny when she was not getting her way. "But they'll still be a couple of cute ones…"

Sakura sighed in exasperation. "No, Ino, I can't—"

"Good grief Sakura, look, I promise his family will even be home. Every single one of them, all upstanding, dignified community members down to the last little old wrinkly grandma." Ino set her book down as she saw Sakura gathering air to refuse her again. "Look, think of it as community service, I just really, really, really don't want to go to a crazy stuffed up family reunion where everyone pinches my cheeks and talks about how much I've blossomed. DON'T leave me alone!!!" Ino leaned forward over the table and clutched at Sakura's hands desperately.

Sakura just shook her head sadly. "Ino, my Dad's out of town."

"Great! He won't have to know a thing about it then!" Ino cheerfully let go of Sakura's hands and grabbed another book before plopping back into her chair.

"No, Ino!" Sakura scowled. "You know that means I have to babysit!"

Ino pouted, "But—you are always babysitting! Can't you hire a real sitter for one night?"

Sakura looked down at her notes and doodled absently on the corners. "Maybe if it was something really important, but my Dad's not going to think your cousin's graduation dinner is important. He doesn't trust most sitting agencies, and it takes a couple weeks for a background check anyway." Sakura shifted uneasily in her chair. "Plus we're running out of candidates. Naruto is going through a biting phase."

Ino looked at her in disbelief. "He's like, what, six now, right? I thought they are supposed to be over stuff like that at their age?"

"Apparently he's regressing," Sakura muttered under her breath and blushed. "I told Sasuke letting him watch that much TV wrestling was bad for him."

"Wrestling?" Ino raised an eyebrow and looked down at her book again.

"Mm-hmmm, lots of bright lights and action, it's one of the few ways we can get him to sit still. Unfortunately, he isn't really old enough to understand that what he is seeing on TV. is all staged."

"Your brother is bizarre."

"Which one?" Sakura shot back.

"Little goldilocks." Ino turned the page of her book. "Mr. Small, dark, and moody is just H-O-T!"

"Ino!" Sakura shrieked, a bit scandalized.

"Ms. Namikaze!"

Sakura blushed and muttered a quick apology to the teacher gazing disappointedly across the room before returning her attention to her best friend. "That's gross Ino, he's my little brother!! He's fourteen!"

Ino just sighed dreamily as she continued reading. "He does have great abs, though."

Sakura glared across the table. "Ino, when did you even—"

Ino smirked and hid her face behind her book. "The pool party on your birthday."

"Ino," hissed Sakura

Ino peaked over the top of her book. "What? I'm just being appreciative—"

"Please keep that type of appreciation to yourself, or I'm never inviting you to a pool party again ever." Sakura fidgeted in irritation in her chair.

"Not fair!!!"

"Life's not fair sometimes, Ino," snapped Sakura, who was promptly ignored.

"Oh, look Sakura, this fairy tales about a babysitter too!"

Sakura looked confused. "Are you still on Cinderella?"

Ino shook her head "No, this book was under that other one. It kind of reads like a medieval English tale." Ino looked up happily. "There's still a princess, a wicked stepmother, and a bratty baby brother, right up your alley, right?"

Sakura looked at the book, it was a small, unfamiliar, book bound in leather with gold print. "It doesn't sound like it has a lot of substance," she said dubiously.

"I don't know, I think I kind of like it….Oh yes, smoking hot King enters stage right." Ino leaned forward and gave a whoop of excitement.

Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend's behavior "Ino, how are going to tie that into Greek mythology? I don't even recognize that book from when I was browsing the shelves. It's probably just a regular fantasy book that got mixed in by accident; it won't even fit the assignment parameters—"

"Oh no you don't forehead girl, this one is mine, get your own—"

They both looked up as Ino's rant was cut short by the ring of the Friday afternoon bell. Ino's face lit up with a smile and she laughed joyfully before slinging her backpack up onto her shoulder, grabbing the book, and sprinting past a frazzled Mr. Umino as she shot for the back door. She looked back as she ran toward freedom, "Call you later! By the way, your bodyguard is waiting up front for you!"

Sakura waved Ino goodbye and stood to look around the bookcase blocking her view of the library's main entrance. Sure enough, Yamato, the day guard, stood looking a bit abashed at library's front desk. He noticed her and waved a greeting while he rubbed the back of his head with his other hand. Sakura held up a finger to signal him to wait a moment and went back to her table to gather her things.

Mentally, she sighed in aggravation. Their father had collectively assigned his three children "escorts" (a fancy word for very well muscled chaperones and chauffeurs who also happened to be licensed to carry armed weapons) after the convention incident. There were at least four guards of which Sakura was aware. They shared a rotating schedule so that at least one was 'on duty' at all times.

At home, the 'on duty' guard stayed in a separate guest house and monitored everything from security cameras. She and her brothers rarely saw them, but Yamato was the one who was with the kids during the school day. The school had its' own security (most of the students had high profile parents, so it kind of had to), so Yamato generally spent the day running errands and only saw them during lunch hour and when dropping them off or picking them up. However, Yamato was also the person they called when someone-usually Naruto-got into trouble.

So, the only question left was, _now what?_

* * *

Next Chapter: The Right Words


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